A pre-Halloween frightful moment at the Strib

Ah, nothing like election season to bring out the nutbirds. This was the scene outside the front door of the Minneapolis Star Tribune on Thursday after a manila envelope that contained white powder identified by the demented correspondent as anthrax arrived in the little newsroom mailroom where cousins Chris and Pam pick up their fan mail (ha!) daily. Luckily, it was just sugar. But as this photo, taken by our friend and colleague Deb Pastner, shows, it was pretty serious for a minute or two.

Cousin Chats' church throws a party

The Rev. Dr. Esquire Chats' church in Wichita, Kan., First Presbyterian, recently threw a big Heritage Days party celebrating its Scottish background (something it has in common with the Miller family's heritage). Here are some photos from that bash featuring our own bonnie Chatsie ...

What are YOU thankful for, cousins?

Cousins! The frost is on the tomatoes and the iron door of the north is clanging open, as the poets say. Our favorite dark-season holiday is Thanks- giving, which comes with less hype than Halloween and Christmas. Here's a challenge: Send your scrapblog editor a card, letter or e-mail telling what you're thankful for this year. Yes, yes, we know you're all thankful for the fabulous scrapblog and your wonderful cousins, but go beyond that ... search deep in your gut, or your funny bone, for what you're REALLY happy about and want to share, and we'll post the replies the day before Thanksgiving. Humor is especially appreciated! Send your submissions to pmmiller1@comcast.net or P. Miller, 4328 Beard Av. N., Robbinsdale, MN 55422. And spread the word to our relatives who don't use computers, too.

A big winner

1952 was Uncle John Kirkwood's lucky year. He won this cool boat in a Lake Pepin fishing contest! Look at those jealous fellas behind him checking it out.

A Miller family weekend

Some of your Miller cousins got together this weekend in Centerville to celebrate Elizabeth's fifth birthday. It was loud and fun! Some snapshots: Izzbee and the delicious ice cream cake. Izzbee tried to take a bite out of the cake before it was served. Wherever could she have learned this sort of behavior?!

Izzbee acted goofy. Wherever could she have learned to be goofy?!

Izzbee with siblings Mo and Zachary (Hannah was out partying somewhere!) and cousin Noah.

Aunt Pam and Moriah. Nieces are so wonderful!

Auntie Mary, the one in this photo without significant nose hair, made a delicious, healthful dinner.

Creating a spectacle(s)

Your scrapblog editor got new glasses this weekend... Wait! These aren't her new glasses. This was just a festive moment during a weekend visit with her fab niece, Izzbee Miller. Here are the actual new specs. And here's Noah's new shorter haircut.

International Anna Smith Week

Our beloved Aunt Anna turns 88 this Thursday! Send your cards and letters to her at 1935 Perlich, Apt. 201, Red Wing, MN 55066. Oh, say! Some more photos of the diminutive one, in honor of her birthday:

Happy Birthday to T-Bro!

Happy 16th Birthday to Tyler Broberg! (It was yesterday, Saturday, Oct. 11, actually.) Hope you're having a wonderful one, T!

Winter is icumen in, and this cousin is ready

Cousins! With the stock market and our 401(k) accounts tanking, it may be a good time to rev up our basic survival skills in case the whole economic kit-and-kaboodle goes haywire. Cousin Davy, for instance, split a lot of wood this weekend, assuring that his Eau Claire home will be warm as toast no matter what happens to fuel prices this winter!

Another journalist in the family??

Let's see, when cousin Pam wrote her first news story for a daily newspaper, it was on Page 151Y of the Podunk Shopper. When cousin Chris wrote his, it was on Page 206Z of the Iron Range Gazette. But today young cousin Noah had his first story published in a daily paper, the Minnesota Daily, and it was on Page 1A and at the top of the Daily's groovy website. Wow! Cousin Pam, Noah's mom, is pretty impressed. Honest, she had nothing to do with Noah applying to the Daily, one of the nation's best college newspapers. Although Noah was co-editor of his high school newspaper, the Robbinsdale Cooper High School Quill, he is not going into journalism, rather studying political science and philosophy, with his eye on the Peace Corps after college, and then, who knows what? But...there's that 1A story. Congrats, Noah!

Uncle Ed would be so proud!

Cousin Joe Kirkwood took a break from his hard work at Federal Mogul in Lake City, Minn., to go fishing recently in the Mississippi backwaters and landed 30 bluegills.

A swingin' cousin

Uncle Joe and Aunt Mavis proudly forwarded this Eau Claire Leader-Telegram photo of young cousin Katie Sprick. She's a fine tennis player! (Click on the article to make it bigger.)

Forget "Access Hollywood" -- it's "Access Vikings"!

Things are a little dicey today at the Minneapolis Star Tribune, which again defaulted on major loan payments, increasing the threat of bankruptcy. But cousins Pam and Chris continue to trot off to work, and work is still there. Today, Chris recorded an especially jumpin' "Access Vikings" mini-movie -- check it out at www.startribune.com; scroll down to "Multimedia" and look for the one titled "Access Vikings: Cleanup Week at Winter Park."

Happy 80th Birthday to Uncle Deadeye!

Happy 80th Birthday to Uncle Charles "John" "C.J." Kirkwood, our Irish branch, husband of Katie Sprick Kirkwood, father of Sandy, Joe, Jane and Tuck and grandpa to Paul, Kelly, Teddy, Katie and Jeff! Jane sent us these delightful photos.

John served with the U.S. military police in Vienna, Austria, after World War II.

John with stepgrandson Jeff and a lotta big fish.

Happy Birthday to Patty Lou!

A very Happy 56th Birthday to cousin Patty Lou Rafferty Pepin! Here she is a few years ago with husband Steve Pepin. Hope all her kids fete her intensely!